Toni Bou back to winning ways in Barcelona X-Trial

Normal service has been resumed in the Bou Show. The Repsol Honda rider returns to victory after a mighty performance in Barcelona. The triumph, in a highly-demanding final, puts yet more distance between the Honda ace and the nearest rival on the overall leaderboard.

The fourth date of the FIM X-Trial World Championship in Barcelona proved to be an excellent one for Toni Bou, who retook the top-spot that he has occupied so often over recent seasons. Barcelona has been productive for Bou, with a total of nine victories there, seven of which have been consecutive.

The RepsolHonda Team star finished the semi-final in first place picking up just four points over the five sections disputed; the next best rider scored ten marks. The home crowd at the Catalan capitalâ€™s Palau Sant Jordi witnessed an awesome display from the champion who casually swept the opposition aside. The finalâ€™s six sections saw Bou collect six penalty points for the victory, ahead of runner-up Adam Raga finishing with ten.

The win widens the gap at the top of the championshipâ€™s general rankings to thirteen points over nearest rival Adam Raga and a whopping twenty-seven over third-place holder Albert Cabestany.

New RepsolHonda Team signing Jaime Busto, 17, made his X-Trial debut on an extremely tough, technical circuit, accomplishing the mission that he set out to achieve: ride and pick up experience.

Next stop for Team HRC will be the X-Trial of Wiener Neustadt, Austria, which will take place next Saturday, March 14.

Toni Bou 1"After the last race, I was determined to win again. I believed in my form, but everyone could see how much quality Adam Raga was showing, which is why victory here in Barcelona tastes so good. I think I had a good race today in a very technical trial, nothing particularly impossible, but worthy of world championship level.

Jaime Busto"Iâ€™m very pleased to have participated in the Barcelona trial. I felt good on the bike but it was really difficult to open the sections because it was the first time that I had ever taken part in an X-Trial GP and I knew I was lacking in experience. The sections had a very high level and I was very glad to be in the company of these champions."